CpSi  0.151 

(\\^>  THE  NAVY  IN  THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  SOUNDS 


by 


J. S.C.Abbott 


xn 


Harpers  Mag.  April, 1866 


v4 


THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 


THE  COLLECTION  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINIANA 

ENDOWED  BY 

JOHN  SPRUNT  HILL 

CLASS  OF  1889 


Cp970.75 

A13 

e.4 


THE  NAVY  EST  THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  SOUNDS. 


567 


HEROIC  DEEDS  OF  HEEOIG  MEN. 

BY  JOHN  S.  C.  ABBOTT. 


LOUIS  M.   GOLDBBOKOUGH. 


XI.— THE  NAVY  IN  THE  NORTH  CARO- 
LINA SOUNDS. 

The  Dispersed  and  Dismantled  Navy Energy  of  the  Sec- 
retary of  the  Navy. — Sumter The  Star  of  the  West — 

Naval  and  Army  Expedition  organized The  Voyage. 

— Entering  Hatteras  Inlet — Storms  and  Delays. — Battle 

of  Croatan  Sound Capture  of  Koanoke  Island The 

service  rendered  by  each  Ship. — Flight  of  Rebel  Gun- 
boats.— The  Pursuit — Destruction  of  the  Rebel  Fleet. — 
The  Rebel  Flag  swept  from  Pamlico  and  Albemarle 
Sounds. 

WHEN  the  rebellion  commenced  we  had 
almost  no  navy.  Treason,  which  was 
then  in  power  at  Washington,  had  allowed 
nearly  the  whole  fleet  to  fall  into  decay.  The 
few  ships  which  remained  were  ordered  far 
away  to  distant  seas,  that  they  might  present 
no  annoyance  to  the  plans  of  the  rebels.  Early 
in  January,  1861,  a  patriot  garrison  of  about 
eighty  men  were  starving  in  Port  Sumter,  be- 
sieged by  the  rebels,  who  had  not  yet  openly 
declared  war,  but  who  were  endeavoring  to  get 
possession  of  the  fort  by  starving  out  its  de- 


fenders. We  had  no  fleet  to  send  to  their  re- 
lief. Still  more  unfortunately,  we  had  then  a 
Government  in  league  with  treason,  and  which 
had  no  desire  to  send  efficient  aid  to  men  be- 
leaguered beneath  its  flag.  As  the  traitors  in 
the  cabinet  at  Washington,  having  accomplished 
their  ends,  one  after  another  retired,  a  few  pa- 
triotic men  succeeded  them.  They  combined 
their  energies  in  the  endeavor  to  transmit  sup- 
plies and  a  small  reinforcement  to  the  fortress 
around  which  the  rebels  were  rearing  their 
menacing  batteries. 

They  had  no  fleet  at  hand  armed  with  thun- 
der-bolts to  blow  the  insolent  rebels  into  the  air, 
and  were  consequently  doomed  to  the  humilia- 
tion of  chartering  a  humble  merchant  steamer, 
of  a  few  hundred  tons,  hoping  that  the  rebels 
would  allow  so  insignificant  a  craft  to  glide  by 
their  guns  into  the  harbor  of  Charleston,  to 
carry  a  few  barrels  of  flour  and  a  few  bushels 
of  potatoes  to  the  heroic  little  garrison  which, 
under  the  command  of  General  Anderson,  was 


«k 


568 


HAEPER'S  NEW  MONTHLY  MAGAZINE. 


:'      jj    « 


starving  in  the  easements  of  one  of  the  most 
powerful  forts  of  the  United  States. 

At  7  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  9th  of 
January,  1861,  the  Star  of  the  West,  freighted 
with  provisions,  appeared  at  the  mouth  of 
Charleston  Harhor.  She  scarcely  ventured  to 
raise  the  national  banner,  but  with  a  small  flag 
modestly  floating  at  her  peak,  without  the 
menace  of  a  single  gun,  assuming  the  meekest 
possible  attitude,  this  ridiculous  little  thing 
crept  suppliantly  along,  the  representative  of 
the  navy  of  the  United  States.  The  rebels,  be- 
hind their  batteries  on  the  shore,  gazed  for  a 
moment  contemptuously  upon  the  approaching 
steamer,  and  then  training  their  guns,  opened 
upon  her  volley  after  volley  of  solid  shot  and 
shells.     The  terrified  craft  could  do  nothing 


but  turn  upon  her  heel  and  run  away.  We 
had  not  a  ship  capable  of  avenging  this  insult. 
Such  was  the  condition  of  the  United  States 
navy,  as  it  was  transmitted  by  the  Buchanan 
Government  to  the  administration  of  Abraham 
Lincoln.* 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1861,  the  new  Admin- 

*  See  Charleston  Courier,  January  10, 1SG1.  Also  cor- 
respondence between  General  Anderson  and  Governor 
Pickens,  of  South  Carolina.  Eeb.  Eec.  vol.  i.  Doc.  18.  In 
this  correspondence  General  Anderson  says:  "Two  of  your 
batteries  fired  this  morning  on  an  unarmed  vessel  bearing 
the  flag  of  my  Government.  As  I  have  not  been  notified 
that  war  has  been  declared  between  South  Carolina  and 
the  United  States  I  can  not  but  think  this  a  hostile  act 
committed  without  your  sanction  or  authority."  Governor 
Pickens  replied  that  "This  act  is  perfectly  justified  by 
me." 


THE  NAVY  IN  THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  SOUNDS. 


569 


istration  came  into  power.  A  true  patriot, 
Gideon  Welles,  a  man  of  quiet,  unboasting,  in- 
domitable energy,  was  appointed  Secretary  of 
the  Navy.  There  was  now  hearty  zeal  in  the 
Government,  but  a  navy  had  to  be  created. 
We  had  not  one  ship  strong  enough  in  her 
armament  to  convey  a  barrel  of  flour  to  our  be- 
leaguered troops.  At  half  past  4  o'clock  in  the 
morning  of  the  4th  of  April,  1861,  the  rebels, 
from  the  encircling  batteries  which  they  had 
been  rearing  at  their  leisure,  opened  fire  npon 
Fort  Sumter.  In  a  bombardment  of  thirty-six 
hours'  duration  they  threw  into  the  fort  2361 
solid  shot  and  980  shells.* 

The  United  States  Government  had  exerted 
all  its  energies  to  fit  out  a  small  fleet  for  the 
relief  of  Sumter ;  but  so  effectually  had  treason 
done  its  work,  in  dismantling  and  dispersing 
the  navy,  that  only  a  few  powerless  wooden 
vessels  could  be  sent,  and  they  did  not  dare 
even  to  enter  the  harbor.  It  was  not  coward- 
ice which  compelled  them  to  float  outside  of 
the  bar,  gazing  impotently  upon  the  struggle 
without  venturing  to  fire  a  gun.  And  when 
they  saw  the  national  banner  fall  from  the  walls 
of  Sumter,  and  the  flag  of  rebellion  take  its 
place,  they  could  only  return  humiliated  to  the 
North  to  tell  the  story.  Such  was  the  condi- 
tion of  the  American  navy  in  the  middle  of 
April,  1861. 

War  was  now  commenced  in  good  earnest. 
The  Navy  Department  was  called  upon  imme- 
diately to  blockade  a  coast  over  three  thousand 
miles  in  extent,  spreading  from  the  Chesapeake 
to  the  Rio  Grande,  and  broken  by  innumerable 
bays,  islands,  inlets,  and  rivers.  It  was  de- 
clared by  the  highest  British  authority  that 
such  a  blockade  was  a  "material  impossibil- 
ity. "  Yet  within  eighteen  months  it  was  done, 
and  done  so  effectually  that  the  same  authority 
which  had  declared  the  achievement  impossi- 
ble, with  a  list  in  their  hands  of  every  vessel 
which  had  succeeded  in  running  the  blockade, 
declared  that  in  no  previous  war  had  the  ports 
of  an  enemy's  country  been  so  effectually  closed 
by  a  naval  force. 

The  whole  extent  of  the  coast  to  be  guarded 
by  a  blockading  fleet,  according  to  an  official 
report,  was  three  thousand  five  hundred  and 
forty-nine  miles,  without  including  inlets,  har- 
bors,   mouths   of  rivers,    and   double    shores. 


*  See  statistical  Report  in  the  Charleston  Mercury,  of 

May  5,  of  the  number  of  shot  thrown  during  the  bom- 
bardment from  eveiy  battery : 

Shot.  Shell. 

8tevens  Battery,  Morris's  iBland 183  60 

Trapier's  Battery,  Morris's  Island —  170 

Cummings's  Point  Battery,  Morris's  la.     336  197 

Rifle  Cannon,  Morris's  Island 11  10 

Battery  No.  1,  Sullivan's  Island _  185 

Battery  No.  2,  Sullivan's  Isl.,  Mortar.     —  88 

Sumter  Battery,  Sullivan's  Island 651  1 

Oblique  Battery,  Sullivan's  Island...     110  5 

Enfilade  Batteiy,  Sullivan's  Island  ...     600  — 

Dahlgren  Battery,  Sullivan's  Island. .      —  61 

Floating  Batteiy,  Sullivan's  Island. . .     470  — 

Mount  Pleasant  Batteiy —  51 

liOWer  Batteiy,  James  Island —  90 

Upper  Batteiy,  James  Island —  53 

Total '. 2361  980 


Along  this  coast  there  were  one  hundred  and 
eighty-nine  openings  into  which  blockading 
ships  could  run.  England,  who  had  for  so  long 
been  undisputed  mistress  of  the  seas,  seemed 
to  exert  all  her  energies,  in  defiance  of  this 
blockade,  to  carry  aid  and  comfort  to  the  rebels. 
To  the  honor  of  France  it  should  be  mentioned 
that  during  the  war  scarcely  a  French  ship  was 
known  to  attempt  to  run  the  blockade. 

In  a  few  months,  by  the  exercise  of  energy 
to  which  we  can  find  no  parallel  in  the  history 
of  other  nations,  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment had  four  splendid  squadrons  afloat.  The 
North  Atlantic  squadron,  under  Admiral  Golds- 
borough,  succeeded  by  Admiral  S.  P.  Lee, 
guarded  the  coasts  of  Virginia  and  North  Caro- 
lina. The  South  Atlantic  squadron,  under 
Admiral  Du  Pont,  blockaded  the  harbors  of 
South  Carolina,  Georgia,  and  the  eastern  coast 
of  Florida.  The  Gulf  squadron  was  divided 
into  two  fleets.  The  Eastern  Division,  under 
command  of  Flag-Officer  M'Kean,  succeeded 
by  Admiral  Lardner,  who  was  succeeded  by 
Commodore  Bailey,  guarded  the  southern  and 
eastern  coast  of  the  Florida  Peninsula,  from 
Cape  Canaverat  to  Pensacola.  The  Western 
Gulf  squadron,  commencing  at  Pensacola,  ex- 
tended westward  to  the  Rio  Grande.  This  was 
esteemed  the  most  important  command  ever 
intrusted  to  a  naval  officer.  A  vast  export 
trade  of  cotton,  sugar,  and  other  products  had 
been  carried  on  from  this  region.  The  great 
central  valley  of  the  continent  found  its  outlet 
to  the  ocean  through  the  Mississippi  River. 
Plans  were  already  in  operation  for  the  capture 
of  New  Orleans,  and  for  reopening  the  naviga- 
tion of  the  Mississippi.  In  selecting  Captain 
D.  G.  Farragut  for  this  responsible  command 
the  right  man  was  found  for  the  right  place. 

In  addition  to  these  vast  squadrons  on  our 
ocean  frontier  an  armed  flotilla  was  called  rapid- 
ly into  existence  on  our  Western  waters  which 
was  placed  under  the  control  of  Commander 
John  Rodgers.  This  flotilla,  which  was  vigor- 
ously commenced  by  Commander  Rodgers,  soon 
passed  under  the  command  of  the  then  Captain 
A.  H.  Foote,  who,  painfully  wounded  at  Donel- 
son,  was  succeeded  by  Captain  Charles  H.  Da- 
vis. Upon  his  promotion  to  Chief  of  the  Bu- 
reau of  Navigation  the  gun-boat  fleet  was 
transferred  to  the  command  of  Admiral  D.  D. 
Porter. 

The  rebels,  by  the  autumn  of  1861,  had 
erected  such  formidable,  batteries  upon  the  Vir- 
ginia shore  or'  the  Potomac,  that  for  several 
months  there  was  no  communication  with  Wash- 
ington by  water,  save  when  an  armed  ship  ran 
the  blockade.  In  March,  1862,  the  rebels 
abandoned  these  batteries.  The  advance  of 
our  army  toward  Richmond  rendered  it  neces- 
sary to  concentrate  quite  a  large  fleet  in  the 
waters  of  the  York  and  James  rivers.  These 
vessels,  after  the  battle  of  Malvern  Hill,  were 
combined  into  a  distinct  organization.  Cap- 
tain Charles  Wilkes  was  detailed  for  that  duty. 
In  July,  1862,  he  entered  upon  the  work  with 


570 


HARPER'S  NEW  MONTHLY  MAGAZINE. 


great  vigor.  Upon  the  withdrawal  of  the  army 
from  the  peninsula  the  flotilla  was  disbanded. 
In  consequence  of  the  liberation  of  these  ves- 
sels a  flying  squadron  was  organized  to  sweep 
up  and  down  the  coast  in  pursuit  of  the  vessels 
seeking  to  violate  the  blockade.  Rear- Admi- 
ral Wilkes  was  placed  in  command  of  this 
squadron,  and  sailed  from  Hampton  Roads,  in 
the  Wachusett,  on  the  24th  of  September,  1862. 

In  addition  to  the  blockade  of  the  whole 
Southern  sea-board  line  various  expeditions 
were  undertaken  to  strike  the  enemy  an  effect- 
ual blow  wherever  an  exposed  point  was  pre- 
sented. To  the  detail  of  some  of  these  naval 
expeditions  we  now  invite  the  attention  of  our 
readers. 

The  shallow  sounds  and  inlets  on  the  North 
Carolina  coast  presented  the  most  favorable  fa- 
cilities for  the  ingress  and  egress  of  blockade 
runners  of  light  draught.  Thus,  to  our  great  an- 
noyance, an  immense  amount  of  muskets,  can- 
non, powder,  percussion-cajjs,  and  army  stores 
were  sent  to  the  rebels  from  England,  and  large 
quantities  of  cotton  were  carried  back  in  pay- 
ment. It  therefore  became  a  matter  of  vital 
necessity  to  gain  possession  of  these  waters. 
A  joint  expedition  of  the  navy  and  army  was 
organized  for  this  purpose. 

Early  in  January,  1862,  a  naval  force  was  as- 
sembled at  Hampton  Roads,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Flag-Officer  L.  M.  Goldsborough.  It 
consisted  of  twenty-three  light-draught  vessels, 
with  an  armament  of  forty-eight  guns.*  Most 
of  these  guns  were  of  heavy  calibre.  The  co- 
operating land  force,  under  General  A.  E.  Burn- 
side,  had  been  first  rendezvoused  at  Annapolis, 
Maryland,  from  which  point  they  joined  the 
naval  force  at  Fortress  Monroe.  They  were 
organized  in  three  brigades,  numbering  about 
sixteen  thousand  men.  They  required  over 
thirty  transports  to  take  them  to  their  destina- 
tion. Five  vessels  conveyed  the  horses,  eight 
or  ten  were  loaded  with  supplies,  a  siege-train, 
etc.  At  10  o'clock  Saturday  night,  January 
1 1,  the  combined  expedition  was  in  motion.  It 
was  a  beautiful  moonlight  night.  But  after  an 
hour  or  two  a  dense  fog  enveloped  the  fleet  as 
it  moved  rapidly  forward,  gently  rising  and  fall- 
ing over  the  heavy  swell  of  the  Atlantic. 

All  day  Sunday,  the  12th,  the  squadron 
steamed  rapidly  along,  with  gleams  of  sunshine 
breaking  through  the  fog,  while  the  white  sand 
of  the  low  beach,  but  a  few  miles  distant  upon 
the  right,  extended  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach.  Just  as  the  sun  was  sinking  beneath  a 
band  of  cloudless  sky  the  squadron  passed  Cape 
Hatteras.  It  was  not  safe  to  attempt  the  pas- 
sage of  the  Inlet,  which  was  about  twelve  miles 


*  The  names  of  these  twenty-three  gun-hoats,  with  the 
names  of  their  commanders,  is  given  in  the  Rebellion  Rec- 
ord, vol.  i.  p.  89,  taken  from  the  New  York  Commercial. 
Of  these  gun-boats  but  eighteen,  according  to  Flag-Officer 
Goldsborough's  Report,  succeeded  in  entering  the  Inlet  to 
take  part  in  the  engagement.  The  names  of  these  eighteen, 
with  the  names  of  their  commanders,  maybe  found  in  the 
detailed  report  of  Flag-Officer  Goldsborough,  in  the  Report 
of  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  1S6?,  p.  64. 


distant,  in  the  dark,  and  the  fleet  hove  to.  On 
Monday  morning,  the  13th,  the  sun  rose  clear 
from  the  apparently  boundless  expanse  of  ocean, 
and  a  gentle,  warm  south  wind  breathed  over  the 
decks  of  the  ships.  Still  a  heavy  sea  was  break- 
ing over  the  bar  of  the  Inlet,  and  great  anxiety 
was  felt  lest  some  of  the  larger  ships  might  be 
lost  in  attempting  the  passage. 

The  blue  coats  of  the  Union  troops  were  seen 
on  the  shore  as  our  soldiers  were  busily  engaged 
on  the  earth-works  of  Fort  Hatteras,  which  had 
been  taken  in  a  former  expedition.  The  Stars 
and  Stripes  were  floating  proudly  from  a  tall 
flag-staff.  As  our  vessels,  one  by  one,  gained 
the  inside  of  the  Inlet,  they  anchored,  just  north 
of  the  entrance,  under  the  lee  of  the  land.  Thus 
Monday,  the  13th,  passed. 

Tuesday  morning  was  ushered  in  with  a  cold, 
northeasterly  gale.  A  severe  squall  and  a  dark 
cloud  in  the  north  had  given  warning  of  it  the 
preceding  day.  As  the  dreary  hours  wore  away 
the  storm  increased  in  violence.  Scarcely  any 
thing  can  be  conceived  more  forlorn  than  the 
region  of  these  sand  spits,  not  more  than  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile  in  width,  thinly  covered  with 
shrub  oaks,  and  over  which  the  ocean  spray  was 
furiously  dashing.  With  great  anxiety  those 
who  were  somewhat  sheltered  from  the  storm 
watched  the  steamer  City  of  New  York,  which 
had  run  aground  outside  of  the  Inlet,  and  the 
breakers  were  dashing  over  her  furiously.  The 
crew  had  cut  away  the  foremast,  which  in  its 
fall  had  carried  away  the  main-top-mast,  and 
over  the  steamer,  which  seemed  to  be  a  total 
wreck,  a  signal  of  distress  was  floating.  The 
night  was  dark,  stormy,  and  dreary. 

With  the  dawn  of  Wednesday  morning,  the 
15th,  there  was  some  change  for  the  better. 
The  gale  had  subsided,  but  still  the  raging  sea 
chased  itself  in  huge  foaming  billows  through 
the  Inlet.  The  crew  of  the  City  of  New  York 
was  taken  off  by  boats,  but  the  ship  itself  proved 
a  perfect  wreck.  The  crew  had  suffered  fear- 
fully. For  a  long  time  the  fury  of  the  storm 
was  such  that  no  aid  could  be  sent  to  the  found- 
ering steamer.  All  day  Tuesday  and  Tuesday 
night  the  sufferers  were  lashed  to  the  rigging, 
drenched  with  the  spray,  and  in  momentary 
peril  of  being  swept  by  the  surges  into  the  foam- 
ing sea.  The  billows  were  making  a  clean 
breach  over  the  wreck,  and  all  the  boats  but  one 
were  dashed  to  pieces. 

In  this  awful  hour,  when  death,  in  one  of  its 
most  appalling  forms,  seemed  to  be  the  inevit- 
able doom  of  the  whole  ship's  company,  two 
heroic  young  men  from  Newark,  New  Jersey, 
William  H.  and  Charles  A.  Beach,  launched 
the  only  remaining  yawl,  and,  accompanied  by 
William  Miller,  of  Nashville,  Tennessee,  Hugh 
M'Cabe,  of  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  and 
George  Mason,  the  colored  steward,  pulled 
over  the  bar,  and  informed  several  vessels  of 
the  fleet  of  the  terrible  peril  of  the  New  York 
City  and  her  crew.  Surf-boats  and  life-boats 
were  sent,  and  the  crew  were  saved. 

Most  of  the  vessels  of  the  fleet  were  now 


THE  NAVY  IN  THE  NORTH  CxiROLINA  SOUNDS. 


571 


I      I 


huddled  together  in  a  very  wretched  place  of 
anchorage  within  the  Inlet.  The  weather  con- 
tinued unpropitious,  with  occasional  lulls,  and 
again  with  gusts  of  wind  which  amounted  al- 
most to  a  gale.  Many  of  the  ships  were  dis- 
abled by  striking  together,  and  one  or  two  ves- 
sels were  sunk.  Thus  uncomfortably  and  peril- 
ously passed  Wednesday  and  Thursday. 

The  next  day,  Friday,  the  17th,  a  fresh 
southeasterly  wind  enabled  several  of  the  ships 
which  had  been  dispersed  by  the  gale,  and  which 
were  yet  outside  of  the  bar,  having  been  driven 
off  to  sea,  to  enter  the  Inlet  and  join  the  squad- 
ron there.  In  a  great  military  and  naval  ex- 
pedition, where  so  many  combinations  are  es- 
sential to  the  final  result,  delays  are  inevitable, 
which   no   ordinary  foresight   can   anticipate. 


"Friday  and  Saturday  the  fleet  rolled  upon  the 
billows  of  the  troubled  sea,  while  all  were  im- 
patiently awaiting  the  order  to  advance. 

Sunday,  the  19th,  came.  Though  war  has 
seldom  any  day  of  rest,  the  true  Christian,  even 
amidst  all  its  tumult,  will  find  some  hours  or 
moments  for  communion  with  his  Heavenly 
Father.  There  were  on  board  that  fleet  many 
hundreds  of  patriotic  hearts  inspired  by  the 
highest  principles  of  religion.  In  little  Chris- 
tian bands  they  met  to  implore  God's  blessing 
upon  their  enterprise,  and  their  songs  of  praise, 
wafted  from  ship  to  ship  over  the  wild  waste  of 
waters,  blended  sweetly  with  the  anthems  voiced 
so  sublimely  by  wind  and  sea.  During  the  day 
a  large  number  of  horses  were  landed.  The 
poor  creatures,  trembling  with  fright,  were  led 


572 


HARPER'S  NEW  MONTHLY  MAGAZINE. 


to  the  gangway,  and  with  ropes  tied  around 
their  necks,  about  thirty  feet  long,  were  pushed 
into  the  wintry  waves.  Then,  by  securing  the 
rope  to  the  stem  of  a  small  boat,  they  were  led 
ashore.  As  they  were  thrown  overboard,  fall- 
ing from  a  height  of  several  feet,  they  sank  far 
beneath  the  water,  but  came  up  puffing  and 
blowing,  and  by  some  instinct  struck  out  im- 
mediately for  the  beach.  It  will  be  remem- 
bered that  by  a  previous  expedition  under  Gen- 
eral Butler  Fort  Hatteras  and  the  region  about 
the  Met  had  been  captured,  and  that  the  na- 
tional banner  how  floated  there.  The  fort  was 
at  the  southern  end  of  the  long  sand  spit, 
through  which  the  waves  had  cut  the  narrow 
Inlet.  Further  up  this  barren  tongue  of  land 
there  were  intrenched  camps,  with  skillfully 
constructed  earth-works. 

Though  most  of  the  fleet  had  now  entered 
the  Inlet,  there  was  another  bar,  called  the 
bulk-head  or  swash,  still  to  be  passed,  before  the 
ships  would  be  fairly  within  the  waters  of  Pam- 
lico Sound.  A  sad  disaster  occurred  to-day. 
A  surf-boat  was  passing  through  the  breakers 
outside  of  the  Inlet,  when  she  was  struck  by  a 
heavy  sea,  which  filled  her  with  water,  knocked 
down  the  crew  of  ten  or  twelve  sailors,  and  tore 
from  their  hands  their  oars.  Surgeon  Weller 
was  trampled  down  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat 
and  drowned.  The  boat,  left  at  the  mercy  of 
the  waves,  was  soon  upset.  Colonel  Allen, 
and  the  second-mate,  James  Taylor,  were  both 
drowned.  The  whole  crew  would  have  perished 
but  that  a  tug  chanced  to  be  near,  which  picked 
up  the  men  struggling  in  the  waves. 

Gradually,  but  laboriously,  the  transports  and 
gun-boats  were  got  over  the  swash  into  deep 
water.  While  this  toilsome  operation  was  in 
progress,  in  which  it  was  necessary  to  lighten 
some  of  the  ships  of  every  thing  which  would 
add  to  their  depth,  the  explosion  of  heavy  guns 
was  heard  in  the  direction  of  Croatan  Sound. 
Some  of  the  gun-boats  had  steamed  up  within 
sight  of  the  rebel  batteries  on  Roanoke  Island, 
and  the  rebels  had  opened  upon  them  with 
32-pound  shot,  inflicting,  however,  no  damage. 
The  night  of  Wednesday,  the  22d,  was  intense- 
ly dark,  and  a  dense  fog  enveloped  the  fleet. 
Aided  by  the  wind,  blowing  strongly  from  the 
sea,  and  by  the  quantity  of  water  which  it  forced 
into  the  Inlet,  several  more  ships  were  taken 
over  the  swash. 

Quite  a  number  of  contrabands,  some  fifty 
in  all,  had  now  made  their  appearance  on  shore 
at  the  camps.  Through  a  thousand  hair-breadth 
escapes  they  had  made  their  way  to  the  Union 
flag.  They  were  all  intensely  loyal,  and  were 
kindly  received.  Five  or  six  came  down  the 
Sound  in  an  open  boat.  Their  clothing  was 
in  rags,  their  bodies  emaciate  with  hunger, 
and  they  had  suffered  all  but  death  from  their 
exposure  on  the  land  and  on  the  sea.  It  ap- 
peared that  they  had  escaped  from  one  of  the 
northern  counties  of  North  Carolina.  For 
five  weeks  they  struggled  through  the  woods, 
traveling  mostly  by  night,    and   living  upon 


roots  and  herbs.  Reaching  Albemarle  Sound, 
they  seized  a  boat  which  they  found  upon  the 
shore,  and  paddled  down  the  eastern  side  of 
Roanoke  Island  to  the  fleet.  They  were  fired 
upon  frequently  by  the  rebel  sentries,  but  ran 
the  gauntlet  in  safety. 

It  was  cold,  wintry  weather,  and  the  sea  was 
swept  by  a  constant  succession  of  gales.  On 
Sunday,  the  26th,  Flag-Officer  Goldsborough 
sent  a  dispatch  to  Secretary  Welles,  stating 
that  seventeen  vessels,  bearing  an  armament 
of  forty-eight  guns,  had  crossed  the  bulk-bead. 
Eleven  of  these  guns  were  of  9-inch  calibre ; 
two  were  100-pounder  rifled  guns ;  two  were 
rifled  80-pounders.  The  remainder  ranged 
from  32  to  12-pounders.* 

"The  channel-way  of  this  bulk-head, "  says 
Flag-Officer  Goldsborough,  "is  shallow,  nar- 
row, and  tortuous.  Under  the  most  favorable 
circumstances  scarcely  an  inch  more  than  sev- 
en and  a  half  feet  of  water  can  be  found  in  it. 
It  was  only  by  the  greatest  exertions  and  per- 
severance on  the  part  of  my  officers  and  men, 
and  by  turning  every  possible  expedient  to 
prompt  account,  that  our  vessels  of  the  heavi- 
est draught — some  of  them  drawing  quite  eight 
feet — were  worked  through  this  perplexing  gut ; 
and  it  was  in  contending  with  this  difficult  pas- 
sage, with  our  vessels  struggling  along,  una- 
voidably one  by  one,  that  I  first  expected  op- 
position from  the  enemy.  But  nothing  of  the 
sort  occurred.  Until  quite  recently  he  was  in 
the  habit  of  visiting  this  neighborhood  weekly, 
and  amusing  himself  by  keeping  just  out  of 
harm's  way,  and  expending  ammunition  from 
rifled  guns  at  the  vessels  in  this  harbor.  In  no 
instance,  however,  did  any  projectile  of  his  ever 
reach  one  of  them.  I  had  occasion  to  send  out 
a  steamer,  day  before  yesterday,  to  ascertain  if 
a  certain  buoy  in  the  Sound  was  still  in  its 
place,  and  while  engaged  in  this  service  she 
discovered  two  rebel  steamers  in  the  distance. 
On  the  fact  being  communicated  to  Commander 
Rowan  he  instantly  put  after  them  with  several 
of  our  steamers.  But  they  at  once  took  to 
flight,  and  were  too  far  off  to  be  overhauled. 
Any  decided  approach  to  this  quarter  now,  on 
the  part  of  the  enemy,  with  all  the  force  he 
could  muster,  would,  to  a  moral  certainty,  re- 
sult in  his  speedy  capture  or  destruction.    The 


*  See  Report  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  18G2,  p.  60. 
Flag-Officer  Goldsborough,  in  his  dispatch,  says:  UI  have 
the  honor  to  inform  the  Department  that  I  arrived  here 
from  Hampton  Roads,  in  the  army  transport  Spaulding, 
on  the  morniDg  of  the  13th,  just  at  the  commencement  of 
a  strong  northeast  gale  of  wind,  which  lasted  until  the 
morning  of  the  15th,  when  for  the  first  moment  we  were 
able  to  commence  moving  our  naval  vessels  to  a  position 
in  the  Sound,  over  and  beyond  the  bulk-head,  where  sev- 
enteen of  them  now  lie,  and  have  been  lying  for  several 
days,  under  the  immediate  command  of  Commander 
Rowan,  in  full  readiness  for  operations  of  any  sort.  This, 
in  effect,  now  gives  us  the  naval  command  of  the  Sound. 
Its  military  command  will  be  secured  by  taking  Roanoke 
Island. 

11  General  Btlrnside  is  here  with  most  of  his  vessels  and 
all  of  his  troops.  Owing  to  various  difficulties  it  was  not 
in  his  power,  before  yesterday,  to  make  any  rapid  prog- 
ress in  getting  his  vessels  over  the  bulk-head." 


THE  NAVY  IN  THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  SOUNDS. 


573 


JKRSS!**'.'*"'. 


Commodore  Perry  has  arrived,  and  General 
Bumside  has  succeeded  in  getting  a  consider- 
able number  of  his  vessels  over  the  bulk-head. 
Things  now  look  hopeful,  and  I  trust  that  we 
shall  be  at  the  enemy  very  soon." 

Still  there  were  delays,  though  every  nerve 
of  energy  was  strained,  both  on  the  part  of 
Flag-Officei  Goldsborough  in  the  fleet,  and 
General  Burnside  iu  command  of  the  land-force, 
to  push  the  expedition  forward  to  certain  vic- 
tory. On  the  morning  of  the  4th  of  February 
a  small  sail-boat  was  seen  far  away  in  the  hori- 
zon, and  a  gun-boat  was  sent  in  pursuit  of  it. 
Nineteen  patriotic  negroes  were  found  in  the 
boat,  who  had  escaped  from  the  enemy,  and 
were  seeking  refuge  on  board  the  Union  fleet. 
The  hour  of  action  was  now  at  hand.    General 


Burnside  issued  a  proclamation  to  his  soldiers 
breathing  that  spirit  of  humanity  which,  in  his 
nature,  was  blended  with  chivalric  courage 
which  could  not  be  surpassed. 

"In  the  march  of  the  army,".he  said,  "all 
unnecessary  injuries  to  houses,  barns,  fences, 
and  other  property  will  be  carefully  avoided. 
And  in  all  cases  the  laws  of  civilized  warfare 
will  be  carefully  observed.  Wounded  soldiers 
.will  be  treated  with  every  care  and  attention, 
and  neither  they  nor  prisoners  must  be  insulted 
by  word  or  act. " 

At  an  early  hour  in  the  morning  of  "Wednes- 
day, the.  5th  of  February,  the  whole  fleet,  after 
three  weeks  and  two  days  of  preparation  at 
Hatteras  Inlet,  were  in  motion,  steaming  up 
Pamlico  Sound  in  the  direction  of  Roanoke 


574 


HARPER'S  NEW  MONTHLY  MAGAZINE. 


Island.  The  flag-ship  Philadelphia,  bearing 
Commodore  Goldsborough,  led  the  squadron. 
The  gun-boats  followed,  stretching  along  in  a 
single  line,  with  about  the  same  space  between 
each.  Then  came  the  transports  bearing  the 
land  troops.  General  Burnside  was  on  board 
a  nimble  little  propeller  called  the  Picket,  glid- 
ing about  among  the  transports  with  signals  for 
movement  and  for  the  landing  of  the  troops. 

The  appearance  which  the  fleet  now  pre- 
sented was  both  beautiful  and  sublime,  and  it 
must  have  struck  terror  into  the  hearts  of  those 
rebels  on  Roanoke  Island  who  were  anxiously 
watching  its  approach.  They  must  have  felt 
that  the  hour  of  doom  was  at  hand.  Some 
speak  of  the  conscientiousness  of  the  rebels.  But 
it  is  an  abuse  of  the  word  to  apply  it  to  those 
traitorous  acts  which,  without  any  adequate 
cause,  plunged  such  a  nation  as  ours  into  a 
bloody  and  desolating  war.  The  fleet  thus  as- 
cending the  Sound  consisted  in  all,  gun-boats 
and  transports,  of  sixty-five  vessels.  Each 
brigade  was  formed  in  three  columns,  with  the 
flag-ship  of  the  brigade  taking  the  lead.  Each 
large  steamer  had  two,  and  sometimes  three 
schooners  in  tow,  whose  tall  masts,  swaying  on 
the  gently-undulating  sea,  added  much  to  the 
picturesqueness  of  the  scene.  The  spaces,  or 
aisles,  between  the  three  columns  were  un- 
broken, and  the  whole  squadron  extended  for 
a  distance  of  about  two  miles.  It  was  about 
thirty-eight  miles  from  Hatteras  Inlet  to  Ro- 
anoke Island,  the  destination  of  the  fleet. 
About  fifty  vessels  were  left  behind  at  the  In- 
let, chiefly  loaded  with  military  stores.  Pro- 
visions for  fifteen  days  were  taken  with  the 
naval  fleet. 

The  day  was  beautiful.    A  gentle  wind  came 


breathing  down  from  the  north,  and  a  few  fleecy 
clouds  embellished  the  deep  blue  sky.  The 
low  and  swampy  main  land  of  the  North  Caro- 
lina coast  could  be  clearly  discerned  far  away 
on  the  left  of  the  broad  Sound.  At  sundown 
the  fleet  dropped  anchor  within  ten  miles  of 
the  lower  point  of  Roanoke  Island.  The  night 
was  cheered  by  bright  moonlight.  The  lamps 
gleaming  from  the  ships  presented  the  aspect 
of  a  city  on  the  sea.  Picket-boats  glided  to 
and  fro,  to  guard  against  any  possibility  of  sur- 
prise. 

At  eight  o'clock  the  next  morning,  Thurs- 
day, February  6,  the  fleet  again  weighed  an- 
chor, the  gun-boats  leading  quite  in  the  ad- 
vance. The  morning  was  dark  and  gloomy, 
with  heavy  clouds  scudding  through  the  sky, 
menacing  an  approaching  storm.  The  squad- 
ron now  drew  near  Croatan  Sound,  the  com- 
paratively narrow  sheet  of  water  which  extends 
west  of  Roanoke  Island  to  the  main  land.  As 
inmimerable  shoals  abounded,  and  the  rebels 
had  removed  nearly  all  the  buoys,  the  progress 
was  very  slow.  At  a  low  point  on  the  east  were 
seen  the  ruins  of  a  light-house  which  the  Van- 
dalism of  treason  had  destroyed. 

By  eleven  o'clock  the  rain  began  to  fall,  and 
such  a  dismal  storm  set  in  that  it  became  nec- 
essary, in  those  treacherous  seas,  again  to  come 
to  anchor.  Two  picket-boats  occupied  posi- 
tions a  mile  in  advance  of  the  fleet,  and  kept  a 
careful  watch  through  the  night.  The  most 
vigorous  precautions  were  adopted  by  them  to 
guard  against  surprise  by  rebel  rams,  torpedoes, 
or  gun -boats.  Anchors  were  dropped  with 
buoys  attached,  so  that  at  a  moment's  warning 
the  cables  could  be  slipped,  and  the  pickets, 
giving  the  alarm,  could  run  within  the  line  of 


SHORES  OF  THE  SODND. 


THE  NAVY  IN  THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  SOUNDS. 


575 


Jgff,  BATTERY 


£;  /W     A     R     L     £  UTO«  ?V> 
SOUND 


%-\\^,W?\  VT. 


SCOT    MILES 


OREGON  INI'LET--' 


MAP  OF  KOANOKE  ISLAND. 


the  gun-boats.  All  lights  were  concealed,  and 
every  sound  was  hushed.  As  the  night  deep- 
ened a  dense  fog  arose,  enveloping  the  whole 
region  in  a  veil  so  impenetrable  that  no  object 
could  be  seen  at  the  distance  of  twenty  feet. 
The  approach  of  any  hostile  craft  was  to  be  sig- 
naled by  the  burning  of  green  lights. 

Toward  morning  of  Friday,  the  7th,  the  fog 
dispersed,  and  the  sun  rose  in  almost  a  cloud- 
less sky.  The  picket-boats  returned  to  the 
squadron,  and,  passing  the  Southfield,  to  which 
Commodore  Goldsborough  had  transferred  his 
flag  from  the  Philadelphia,  were  ordered  to 


request  General  Burnside  to  close  up  with  the 
transports  as  speedily  as  possible,  as  the  Com- 
modore intended  immediately  to  penetrate  the 
Inlet  and  open  the  action.  At  ten  o'clock  the 
gun-boats  moved  forward  and  entered  Croatan 
Sound,  through  the  narrow  passage  called  Ro- 
anoke Inlet. 

The  gun-boats  threaded  the  narrow  chan- 
nel between  a  group  of  low,  marshy  islands, 
and  were  followed  by  the  transports,  which 
were  led  by  the  steamer  R.  S.  Spaulding,  with 
General  Burnside  on  board.  Immediately 
upon  entering  the  Sound  they  came  in  sight 


576 


HARPER'S  NEW  MONTHLY  MAGAZINE. 


of  the  rebel  gun-boats,  "  eight  in  number,  all 
being  drawn  up  behind  an  extensive  obstruc- 
tion formed  by  a  double  row  of  piles  and  sunk- 
en vessels  stretching  well  across  the  Sound,  and 
between  the  forts  on  Pork  and  Wier's  Points." 
It  was  then  just  half  past  10  o'clock.  A  signal- 
gun  from  one  of  the  rebel  gun-boats  announced 
the  approach  of  the  patriot  fleet,  and  summoned 
every  rebel  on  the  sea  and  on  the  land  to  his 
post  for  the  battle.  Nelson's  famous  order  was 
signaled  from  the  Union  flag-ship.  "  This  day 
our  country  expects  that  every  man  will  do  his 
duty!" 

At  half  past  11  the  battle  was  opened  by  the 
first  gun  from  the  flag-ship  upon  the  rebel  gun- 
boats. In  half  an  hour  the  engagement  became 
general,  and  the  signal  was  displayed  for  close 
action.  The  rebel  fleet  slowly  retreated,  with 
the  evident  design  of  drawing  our  ships  within 
close  range  of  the  batteries  on  the  shore.  The 
100-pound  Parrott  gun  on  board  the  Southfield 
spoke  with  a  voice  of  thunder  which  rose  above 
all  the  din  of  the  conflict,  hurtling  its  mam- 
moth shells  with  hideous  shrieks  through  the 
air,  and  bursting  them  with  terrific  destruction 
in  the  midst  of  the  foe.  The  rebels  also  had  a 
100-pounder  Parrott  on  one  of  their  boats  with 
which  they  returned  bolt  for  bolt.  Occasion- 
ally a  shot  from  the  shore  batteries  came  rico- 
chetting  over  the  waves,  but  fired  with  inac- 
curacy, which  indicated  the  inexperience  of 
the  gunners. 

Slowly  the  rebel  squadron  withdrew  before 
our  advancing  fleet  until  we  found  our  progress 
arrested  by  the  line  of  piles  and  sunken  vessels 
of  which  we  have  spoken,  which  extended  across 
the  channel,  behind  the  shelter  of  which  the 
rebels  had  commenced  their  fight.  These  ob- 
structions were  guarded  by  forts  at  each  end. 
One,  called  Port  Barstow,  was  on  the  island ; 
the  other,  Fort  Forrest,  was  on  the  main  land. 
Oar  fleet  now  turned  its  attention  to  silencing 
these  batteries.  Gradually  the  fire  from  the 
guns  of  the  main  fort  on  the  island  slackened, 
and  it  was  thought  that  they  were  so  far  si- 
lenced by  the  bombardment  of  the  fleet  that 
the  fort  could  now  be  successfully  stormed  by 
the  land-force.  About  two  miles  south  of  the 
battery  there  was  a  small  cove  called  Ashby's 
Harbor.  Lieutenant  Andrews,  with  a  boat's 
crew,  pulled  ashore  to  examine  the  depth  of 
water,  and  to  select  a  good  place  for  the  land- 
ing. It  was  an  enterprise  which  required  both 
prudence  and  intrepidity.  Nobly  the  Lieuten- 
ant performed  his  mission.  Having  finished 
his  soundings  he  went  ashore.  The  gleam  of 
bayonets  in  the  distance  and  other  indications 
led  him  to  conclude  that  there  was  a  concealed 
battery  which  commanded  the  landing. 

He  returned  to  his  boat,  and  had  scarcely 
shoved  from  the  land  when  thirty  men  sprang 
up  from  the  tall  grass  and  discharged  a  volley 
of  bullets  at  his  boat.  One  man  only  was  se- 
verely wounded.  A  very  intelligent  young 
slave,  Thomas  R.  Robinson,  who  had  escaped 
from  his  master,  pointed  out  the  harbor  and 


gave  much  other  valuable  aid  to  the  expedi* 
tion,*  The  bombardment  from  the  fleet  was 
still  kept  vigorously  up,  and  from  the  transports 
the  enormous  shells  could  be  seen  striking  the 
battery,  and  in  their  explosion  throwing  up 
columns  of  sand  and  water  fifty  feet  into  the 
air. 

While  preparations  were  going  on  for  land- 
ing, at  1  o'clock  a  dense  column  of  smoke  rose 
from  the  fort,  indicating  that  a  portion  of  the 
quarters  wore  on  fire.  A  shell  had  been 
thrown  among  the  dry  com-husks  of  the  bar- 
racks, and  a  lurid  flame  was  soon  seen  leaping 
up  through  the  thick  black  smoke.  Still  the 
battery  kept  up  a  slackening  fire.  The  con- 
flagration evidently  gained  upon  the  garrison ; 
but  through  the  increasing  smoke  and  billowy 
fire,  which  apparently  enveloped  the  entire 
quarters,  one  gun  still  kept  up  a  vigorous 
fight.  Its  heavy  boom  was  followed  by  a  rico- 
chetting  shot,  badly  aimed,  and  which  rarely 
did  any  injury. 

The  Union  gun-boats  now  came  within  short- 
er range  and  poured  into  the  doomed  battery, 
with  great  precision,  an  appalling  storm  of  shot 
and  shell.  The  rebel  gun-boats  were  still  hov- 
ering in  the  distance,  eagerly  watching  for  an 
opportunity  to  strike  a  blow.  They  were, 
however,  very  wary  of  coming  within  reach  of 
our  guns.  At  one  time  a  few  of  them  came 
round  Wier's  Point  and  advanced,  indicating 
an  intention  to  attack  our  fleet,  but  probably 
designing  only  to  draw  our  attention  from 
effecting  a  landing.  A  brief  but  brisk  contest 
ensued.  Soon  one  of  the  rebel  ships  hauled 
off'  and  ran  ashore.  The  cause  was  soon  ex- 
plained. A  Union  shell  had  set  fire  to  the 
steamer.  Smoke  began  to  arise  and  flames  to 
burst  forth,  and  the  whole  majestic  fabric  was 
soon  a  roaring  furnace  of  fire.  It  afterward 
appeared  that  this  ship  was  the  Curlew,  the 
flag-ship  of  the  rebel  Commodore  Lynch.  A 
100-pound  shell  from  the  Southfield  had  burst 
upon  her  deck.  There  was  but  little  air  stir- 
ring, and  the  fire  from  our  gun-boats  was  so 
incessant  that,  at  times,  they  were  so  envel- 
oped in  smoke  as  to  hide  them  entirely  from 
sight. 

It  was  now  3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  To 
cover  the  landing  of  the  troops  from  the  trans- 
ports three  of  our  gun -boats  took  positions 
along  the  shore  to  shell  the  woods.  Their  ter- 
rible missiles  of  destruction,  rising  in  a  grace- 
ful sweep  through  the  air,  dropped  among  the 
trees  and  exploded  with  thunder  roar,  cutting 
down  the  forest  with  their  fragments  hurled  in 
all  directions.  Two  steamers  took  position 
close  to  the  landing  -  point,  with  guns  well 
trained  and  heavily  loaded,  to  guard  against 
any  rush  of  the  foe  from  ambuscade.     The 

*  See  Rebellion  Record,  vol.  i.  p.  100.  The  Louisville 
Jownat,  February  22,  1S62,  says  that  F.  B.  Remington, 
of  the  Thirtieth  New  York  Regiment,  "  piloted  the  expe- 
dition to  the  landing-place  on  Roanoke  Island,  and  in  no 
small  degree  thus  contributed  to  the  great  victory  won  by 
our  forces." 


THE  NAVY  IN  THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  SOUNDS. 


577 


rebel  craft,  seeing  a  portion  of  the  gun-boat 
fleet  drawn  off  to  protect  the  landing,  again 
ventured,  about  4  o'clock,  another  cautious  at- 
tack upon  the  gun-boats  which  remained  bom- 
barding the  battery. 

It  was  now  i  o'clock  p.m.  For  half  an  hour 
the  fight  between  the  gun-boats  continued  with 
much  spirit.  The  rebel  boats  then  steamed 
up  the  Sound  and  disappeared.  Night  was 
approaching.  Our  vessels,  however,  still  con- 
tinued the  bombardment,  with  an  occasional  re- 
sponse from  the  battery,  until  6  o'clock,  when 
they  hauled  off  for  the  night.  As  darkness 
settled  down  over  the  scene,  and  the  exhaust- 
ed combatants  threw  themselves  upon  their 
couches  to  seek  repose  in  preparation  for  the 
renewal  of  the  conflict  on  the  morrow,  silence, 
Vol.  XXXII.— No.  191.—  Qq 


like  that  of  the  sepulchre,  succeeded  the  tu- 
mult of  the  day.  But  through  the  night  there 
could  be  seen  upon  the  island  the  glow  of  the 
smouldering  fire  which  had  laid  the  barracks 
of  the  foe  in  ashes.  During  the  day  about 
fifteen  hundred  shot  and  shell  were  thrown  by 
our  ships  into  the  rebel  works.  The  casualties 
during  the  conflict  had  been  small,  surprising- 
ly small.  Indeed,  nothing  is  more  strange  than 
that  a  battle  can  be  waged  for  so  many  hours 
with  the  most  ponderous  and  destructive  weap- 
ons which  modern  art  can  create,  and  yet  so 
few  be  hurt.  On  board  the  Union  fleet  six 
men  only  were  killed,  seventeen  wounded, 
and  two  missing.  Officers  and  men  were  alike 
eager  to  accomplish  their  task,  and  no  one 
seemed  to  shrink  either  from  toil  or  danger. 


578 


HARPER'S  NEW  MONTHLY  MAGAZINE. 


Several  of  the  ships  were  brought  as  near  the 
battery  as  the  water  would  allow. 

The  Delaware  ran  within  a  ship's-length  of 
the  shore,  and  throwing  shell  of  but  five-second 
fuse,  opened  a  terrible  flanking  fire  upon  the 
battery  at  Pork  Point.  Lieutenant  Command- 
ing Quackenbush  went  on  shore  in  his  boat 
with  his  acting  aid,  F.  R.  Curtis,  and  took 
possession  of  a  rebel  tent,  which  he  brought 
on  board.  He  then  ran  down  the  island  with 
the  Delaware  about  a  thousand  yards,  and,  by 
shelling  the  woods,  drove  off  the  rebel  troops 
concealed  there',  and  thus  covered  the  landing 
of  General  Burnside's  troops. 

The  Roanoke,  opening  fire  at  the  distance 
of  about  eight  hundred  yards,  and  gradually 
closing  in  to  about  two  hundred  yards,  threw 
during  the  day  one  hundred  and  seventy  9- 
inch  shells  and  twenty  shrapnels.  The  ship 
was  struck  seven  times  by  round  shot  from  the 
battery.  One  shot  passed  through  the  maga- 
zine and  through  an  empty  powder-tank.  One 
went  between  the  engine  and  ths  boiler.  Not- 
withstanding these  narrow  escapes  the  vessel 
was  not  seriously  injured.  No  one  was  killed. 
One  man  only  had  his  leg  broken  by  a  splinter. 

The  Valley  City  took  a  apsition  about  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile  from  the  shore,  and  in  com- 
pany with  four  other  steamers  poured  their 
storm  of  shot  and  shell  into  the  battery.  A 
round  shot  from  one  of  the  rebel  guns  struck 
the  foremast  of  the  Valley  City,  very  nearly 
cutting  it  off.  It  was  about  2  o'clock  when  it 
became  evident  that  our  shells  had  set  the  fort 
on  fire.  About  3  o'clock  the  flames  were  rag- 
ing so  fiercely  that  in  the  attempt  to  extinguish 
them  the  garrison  was  compelled  to  abandon 
for  a  time  most  of  its  guns.  As  the  rebel  fire 
was  thus  slackened,  the  Valley  City,  still  belch- 
ing forth  its  incessant  fire,  ran  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  nearer  to  the  shore.  At  half  past  5,  in 
obedience  to  a  signal,  the  steamer  was  drawn 
out  of  the  range  of  fire  and  anchored,  having,  in 
a  heroic  day's  work,  thrown  shot  and  shell  in 
all  amounting  to  five  hundred  and  seventy- 
three.  Neither  ship  nor  crew  received  any 
injury.  The  rebels  fired  wildly,  and  not  a  shot 
struck  the  ship.  The  next  morning  at  10 
o'clock  this  steamer  stood  in  again  toward  the 
shore,  and  vigorously  renewed  the  conflict. 

The  Commodore  Barney,  in  its  eagerness  to 
pitch  its  shells  plump  into  the  battery,  advanced 
so  near  the  shore  as  to  get  aground.  Before 
floating  again  thirty  shells  were  thrown,  with 
great  precision  of  aim,  into  the  rear  of  the  bat- 
tery, from  which  spot  flames  were  soon  seen  to 
burst  forth.  The  execution  of  the  shells  was 
described  by  the  Picket,  which  was  in  a  situa- 
tion to  see  where  they  struck,  as  "beautiful." 
The  steamer  soon  drew  off  into  deeper  water. 
One  hundred  and  twenty-four  shells  were  thrown 
during  the  day  from  two  guns  on  this  boat,  all 
of  which,  excepting  six,  fell  within  the  fort. 
One  shot  passed  through  the  upper  works  of 
this  steamer,  and  one  shell  exploded  on  her  for- 
ward deck,  but  no  one  was  injured. 


The  Hunchback  went  into  action  at  11 
o'clock,  commencing  with  the  rebel  gun-boats. 
As  they  retired  upon  the  other  side  of  their 
obstructions,  out  of  range,  the  Hunchback  turn- 
ed upon  the  battery  at  Pork  Point.  At  half 
past  three  a  rebel  shot  struck  the  engine  and 
disabled  it.  The  steamer  then  cast  anchor, 
and  continued  its  fire  till  dark,  though  at  times 
exposed  to  a  cross-fire  from  the  rebel  gun- 
boats and  the  battery.  The  Hunchback  threw 
seventy-six  shells,  twenty-four  solid  shot  from 
the  100-pounder  rifle,  and  two  hundred  and 
eight  shell  and  shrapnel  from  its  three  9-inch 
guns.  The  steamer,  while  hurling  its  terrific 
missiles  into  the  rebel  gun-boats  and  battery, 
was  struck  eight  times.  It  was  in  the  thick- 
est of  the  engagement,  yet  no  one  was  hurt. 

The  Southfield,  which  was  the  flag-ship,  at 
about  half  past  11  opened  fire  upon  the  ene- 
my's fleet,  which  was  stationed  near  the  island 
between  Wier's  Point  and  Pork  Point.  Mag- 
Officer  Goldsborough  was  on  the  deck  during 
the  whole  engagement.  Her  ]  00-pound  rifled 
Parrott  did  great  execution.  ■  A  32-pounder 
passed  through  her  upper  works,  inflicting  no 
damage  and  injuring  no  one. 

The  Underwriter  took  the  lead  in  entering 
the  Sound,  and  fired  both  the  first  and  second 
shell  at  the  fort,  provoking  no  reply.  The  first 
shell  was  thrown  a  distance  of  two  and  a  half 
miles.  The  steamer  approached  quite  near  the 
barricades,  which  were  stretched  quite  across 
the  Sound,  drawing  the  fire  of  one  after  anoth- 
er of  the  rebel  guns.  It  then  fell  back  a  lit- 
tle, opening  a  rigorous  deliberate  fire,  averag- 
ing one  shot  from  the  rifled  guns  every  eight 
minutes.  The  next  morning  the  commander 
of  the  Underwriter,  with  eight  other  gun-boats, 
proceeded  to  the  obstructions  to  search  out  the 
channel,  and  to  remove  a  sufficient  number  of 
the  piles  to  allow  the  fleet  to  pass  through  in 
pursuit  of  the  fugitive  rebel  steamers. 

The  Hetzel,  while  hotly  engaged,  was  struck 
by  a  32-pound  shot  on  the  water-line.  The 
steamer  was  thus  compelled  to  withdraw  from 
action  for  a  short  time  to  repair  damages.  In 
half  an  hour  the  Hetzel  returned  again  to  its 
post  of  toil  and  danger.  A  rebel  shell  soon 
exploded  over  the  deck,  striking  one  man  on 
the  head  with  a  fragment,  killing  him  instant- 
ly. Soon  after  this  an  80-pounder  rifled  gun 
burst  in  the  act  of  firing  a  solid  shot,  knocking 
down  every  man  around  the  piece,  wounding 
three  severely,  but  happily  killing  none.  It 
was  a  terrific  explosion. 

"The  part  forward  of  the  trunnions  fell  upon 
the  deck.  One-third  of  the  breach  went  over- 
board, carrying  away  the  port  bulwarks.  An- 
other flew  high  into  the  air  and  fell  into  the 
water  just  alongside.  And  the  remaining  por- 
tion, weighing  about  a  thousand  pounds,  was 
driven  through  the  deck,  breaking  one  of  the 
beams,  passed  through  the  magazine  and  the 
deck  below,  and  lodged  upon  the  keelson.  The 
magazine  was  set  on  fire,  and  only  extinguished 
in  time  to  avoid  an  explosion  by  the  presence  of 


THE  NAVY  IN  THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  SOUNDS. 


579 


mind,  promptitude,  and  intrepidity  of  Lieuten- 
ant Charles  L.  Franklin. "  This  accident  ren- 
dered it  necessary  to  withdraw  from  the  action, 
and  to  anchor  beyond  the  range  of  the  rebel  guns. 

The  Louisiana,  early  in  the  ac/ion,  was  set 
on  fire  by  the  explosion  of  an  SO-pound  shell 
thrown  from  the  works  of  the  enemy.  The 
projectile  entered  just  below  the  hawser  pipe, 
passed  through  the  chain-locker,  shattering  sev- 
eral links  of  the  chain,  and  exploded  in  the 
hold  among  sacks  of  coal,  blowing  off  the  hatch- 
es, which  were  battened  down.  The  ship  reel- 
ed as  if  shaken  by  an  earthquake,  was  set  on 
fire,  and  otherwise  severely  injured.  With 
promptness  and  coolness  truly  wonderful  in 
the  midst  of  such  a  scene  of  excitement  and 
peril,  in  six  minutes  the  flames  were  extin- 
guished, and  the  ship  was  again  hurling  its  de- 
structive missiles  upon  the  foe.  The  Louisiana 
threw  one  hundred  and  eighty-one  shot  and 
shell,  and  consumed  eight  hundred  and  sixty- 
seven  pounds  of  powder. 

"The  Stars  and  Stripes,"  writes  the  corre- 
spondent of  the  New  York  Commercial,  "was 
engaged  six  hours,  and  came  as  near  the  bat- 
tery as  her  draught  wrould  permit.  She  once 
ventured  too  close  and  grounded,  but  succeeded 
in  steaming  off.  At  one  period  of  the  engage- 
ment she  was  situated  between  the  gun-boats 
of  the  enemy  and  the  battery,  and  her  entire 
armament  was  actively  engaged.  Erom  her 
gun-deck  she  threw  8-inch  shells  from  two  G4- 
pounder  guns  on  each  side,  while  her  20-pound- 
er  Parrott  gun  and  two  rifled  howitzers  on  the 
upper  deck  poured  in  their  fire.  A  shot  cut 
one  of  the  stays,  and  another  passed  between 
her  masts.  While  the  Stars  and  Stripes  was 
aground  for  two  hours  she  kept  up  a  constant 
fire,  and  received  the  fire  of  the  battery.  Her 
officers  behaved  in  the  most  cool  and  courageous 
manner,  proving  themselves  worthy  of  the  cause 
which  they  defended." 

The  Morse  took  a  position  at  first  about 
1500  yards  from  the  shore,  and  opened  fire 
upon  the  enemy's  gun-boats,  "disabling  the 
steamer  Curlew."  Then,  advancing  nearer  to 
the  shore,  the  Morse  directed  her  guns  upon 
the  rebel  battery,  and  continued  firing  until  her 
stock  of  shells  was  all  expended.  The  vessel 
was  struck  by  both  shot  and  shell.  Though 
one  man  was  killed,  the  steamer  suffered  no 
material  injury. 

The  Whitehead  from  a  distance  of  1500  yards 
threw  ninety-eight  shells,  and  experienced  no 
casualty.  The  Lockwood  expended  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty-eight  rounds  of  ammunition, 
throwing  80-pound  and  12-pound  shot,  receiv- 
ing no  damage  in  return.  The  Brinker  threw 
eighty-nine  missiles  into  the  works  of  the  foe, 
and  then  withdrew  for  want  of  ammunition. 
The  J.  N.  Seymour  took  position  a  mile  and  a 
half  from  the  battery,  pitching  both  shot  and 
shell  upon  the  ramparts,  where  the  flag  of  trea- 
son waved.  Her  fire  was  directed  wholly  upon 
the  barbette  guns  upon  the  southern  extremity  of 
the  battery.  One  man  was  dangerously  wounded, 


and  one  killed.  The  steamer  received  no  harm, 
The  Ceres  opened  first  upon  the  rebel  gun-boats 
with  a  rifled  30-pounder.  After  continuing  this 
fire  vigorously  from  11  o'clock  until  2  o'clock, 
the  steamer  then  stood  in  nearer  the  fort  and 
commenced  firing  simultaneously  with  the  rifled 
gun  upon  the  rebel  fleet,  and  with  a  32-pounder 
shell  gun  upon  the  fort.  Two  men  were  slightly 
wounded  by  the  premature  discharge  of  a  gun. 
A  shell  struck  the  Ceres  on  the  upper  deck, 
and  splitting  one  of  the  beams,  fell  through  to 
the  lower  deck  and  burst  under  the  boiler,  car- 
rying away  one  of  the  grates  of  the  furnace. 

The  Putnam  opened  fire  with  shrapnel  from 
a  20-pounder  Parrott.  Keeping  up  a  steady 
fire,  it  drew  nearer  and  nearer  until  within  seven 
hundred  yards  of  the  battery,  when  broadside 
to  and  keeping  still  in  motion,  it  commenced 
throwing  shot  and  shell  from  a  32-pounder. 
Most  of  the  enemy's  shot  passed  over  the  steam- 
er. No  one  was  hurt  on  board  the  vessel,  and 
but  little  damage  was  done.  The  Shawsheen 
and  the  Granite  also  took  an  active  part  in  the 
conflict,  inflicting  serious  loss  upon  the  enemy 
and  receiving  none  in  return. 

Roanoke  Inlet,  through  which  the  ships  en- 
tered into  Croatan  Sound,  is  but  two  hundred 
feet  wide,  and  so  difficult  is  the  channel  that 
great  care  is  necessary  in  threading  it.  It  was 
supposed  that,  at  this  point,  the  rebels  would 
plant  their  batteries.  It  was  probably  well  for 
us  that  they  did  not.  During  the  naval  action 
the  transports  were  anchored  just  beyond  the 
range  of  the  rebel  guns.  Their  spars  and  rig- 
ging were  crowded  with  soldiers,  clinging  to 
them  like  swarming  bees,  as  they  gazed  upon 
the  sublime  spectacle.  Whenever  a  well-di- 
rected shot  accomplished  its  mission,  their 
hearty  cheers  blended  loudly  with  the  tumult 
of  the  battle.  The  water  was  much  of  the 
time  as  smooth  as  a  mirror,  and  the  transports, 
with  their  crowded  spars,  were  beautifully  re- 
flected in  the  waves  below. 

It  was  about  5  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  when 
the  transports  commenced  disembarking  their 
troops  for  the  land  attack.  They  reached  the 
shore  without  opposition.  The  rebel  force, 
which  had  been  concealed  in  the  woods  to  dis- 
pute their  landing,  had  fled  before  the  storm 
of  shells  which  the  gun-boats  had  rained  down 
into  their  covert.  The  operation  of  landing 
impressed  every  eye  with  its  brilliance.  The 
troops  disembarked  from  the  large  steamers 
into  small  boats,  and  these  boats,  sometimes  in 
a  long  string  of  twenty,  were  towed  by  tugs  as 
near  the  shore  as  the  water  would  permit,  when 
the  tow-line  was  cast  off  and  the  boats  were 
rowed  to  the  shore.  In  this  way  four  thousand 
men  were  landed  in  less  than  an  hour.  By 
11  o'clock  at  night  nearly  the  whole  force  in- 
tended to  storm  the  fort  was  on  shore. 

The  Twenty-fifth  Massachusetts  landed  first ; 
then  the  Tenth  Connecticut,  followed  by  the 
Fifty-first  New  York,  the  Twenty-first  Massa- 
chusetts, the  Fourth  and  Fifth  Rhode  Island, 
and  the  Fifty-first  Pennsylvania.     The  steam- 


580 


HAEPEE'S  NEW  MONTHLY  MAGAZINE. 


er  conveying  the  Twenty-fourth  Massachusetts 
grounded  just  after  entering  the  Sound,  and 
her  troops  were  not  put  ashore  until  the  next 
morning. 

As  the  sun  rose  Saturday  morning,  February 
8,  every  man  on  the  land  and  on  the  sea  was 
roused  to  activity.  The  eventful,  decisive  day 
had  manifestly  come.  The  rebel  forts  were  to 
be  stormed,  and  it  could  hardly  be  doubted 
that  the  result  would  prove  a  glorious  victory 
or  a  disastrous  defeat.  The  navy  had  nobly 
fulfilled  its  part,  and  now  the  troops  were  to 
march,  with  bare  bosoms,  against  the  batteries 
of  the  foe.  The  boats,  about  9  o'clock,  threw 
a  few  shot  into  the  fort,  and  then  withheld  their 
fire ;  and  while  the  troops  were  marching  to 
the  assault,  engaged  in  removing  the  obstruc- 
tions which  had  been  placed  in  the  channel. 
The  rebel  fleet  during  the  night  had  disap- 
peared, their  boats  having  run  up  the  Sound, 
hoping  to  escape  from  the  doom  which  now 
seemed  inevitable. 

The  conflict  on  land  was  short,  fierce,  bloody. 
The  troops,  who  marched  in  three  columns  un- 
der Generals  Poster,  Eeno,  and  Parke,  swept 
all  opposition  before  them,  and  in  a  sanguinary 
fight  of  but  about  two  hours'  duration,  gained 
possession  of  the  whole  island.  The  victory 
was  complete.  General  Shaw,  who  command- 
ed the  port,  as  he  delivered  up  his  sword,  said, 
"I  give  up  my  sword  and  surrender  to  you 
five  thousand  men."  The  correspondent  of 
the  New  York  Commercial,  who  was  on  board 
the  Union  fleet,  graphically  describes  the  scenes 
of  which  he  was  an  eye-witness.  To  him  we 
are  much  indebted  for  many  of  the  facts  con- 
tained in  this  narrative.  Speaking  of  the  forts 
and  batteries  so  gallantly  captured,  he  says : 

"  The  works  are  constructed  in  the  most  sub- 
stantial manner.  The  names  by  which  they 
were  known  among  the  rebels  are  Fort  Huger, 
on  Wier's  Point,  northernmost  on  the  shore  of 
the  Island ;  Fort  Blanchard  to  the  south  of  this, 
and  Fort  Bartow,  on  Pork  Point,  the  most  south- 
ern of  the  channel-bearing  works.  On  the 
eastern  shore  of  the  Island,  at  Eobb's  Fishery, 
a  battery  mounting  two  guns,  pointed  inland, 
was  erected  to  cover  the  retreat  of  the  rebel 
forces  toward  Nag's  Head. 

"Battery  Huger,  on  Wier's  Point,  is  a  semi- 
circular work,  mounting  eight  heavy  thirty-twos 
in  embrasure  in  the  centre,  and  two  en  barbette 
at  each  end,  one  of  which  is  rifled.  A  rear 
curtain,  with  a  salient  angle  in  the  centre,  pro- 
tects the  rear.  A  large  quadrangular  bomb- 
proof occupies  the  centre.  Battery  Blanchard 
mounts  four  thirty-twos  en  barbette,  with  a  left 
flanking  curtain  extending  round  to  the  rear. 
Battery  Bartow,  or  Pork  Point  Battery,  is  semi- 
circular^  with  a  long  curtain  of  sand  extending 
three  hundred  yards  from  the  right  along  the 
shore.  This  fort  mounts  six  embrasure  guns, 
with  one  empty  embrasure,  and  three  guns 
mounted  en  barbette.  One  of  the  barbette  guns 
is  an  80-pounder.  Ammunition  in  abundance 
was  found  in  these  works. " 


As  it  is  our  object  in  this  paper  to  speak 
particularly  of  the  achievements  of  the  navy, 
we  must  deny  ourselves  the  privilege  of  nar- 
rating the  heroic  charges  of  the  land  troops. 
Works  so  strongly  fortified,  and  manned  by 
five  thousand  men,  could  not  be  taken,  not- 
withstanding the  bombardment  from  the  fleet, 
without  the  most  chivalric  courage.  The  naval 
battle,  as  we  have  mentioned,  commenced  on 
the  morning  of  the  9th,  and  continued  through 
the  day.  The  next  morning  a  few  shells  were 
thrown  into  such  of  the  rebel  works  as  were 
within  range  of  the  fleet,  and  then  the  army 
commenced  its  perilous  march  to  storm  the 
ramparts.  It  was  a  triumphant  advance.  No- 
thing could  withstand  the  impetuosity  of  our 
troops.  After  a  day  of  tumult  and  blood,  ev- 
ery flag  of  treason  was  in  the  dust,  and  the 
Stars  and  Stripes  floated  victoriously  over  the 
whole  Island.  The  next  morning,  Sunday  the 
9th,  Flag-Officer  Goldsborough  sent  the  follow- 
ing joyful  report  to  Secretary  Welles,  whose  en- 
ergy had  contributed  so  greatly  to  create  the 
engine  which  had  accomplished  results  so  glo- 
rious. 

"Eoanoke  is  ours.  The  military  authori- 
ties struck  to  us  yesterday.  Their  means  of 
defense  were  truly  formidable,  and  they  were 
used  with  a  determination  worthy  of  a  better 
cause.  They  consisted  of  two  elaborately  con- 
structed works,  mounting  together  twenty-two 
heavy  guns,  three  of  them  being  100-pounders 
rifled ;  four  other  batteries  mounting  together 
twenty  guns,  a  large  proportion  of  them  being 
also  of  large  calibre,  and  some  of  them  rifled ; 
eight  steamers  mounting  two  guns  each,  and 
each  having  a  rifled  gun,  with  a  diameter  of  a 
32-pounder ;  a  prolonged  obstruction  of  sunken 
vessels  and  piles  to  thwart  our  advance  ;  and 
altogether  a  body  of  men  numbering  scarcely 
less  than  five  thousand,  of  whom  three  thousand 
are  now  our  prisoners. 

"The  fighting  commenced  on  the  morning 
of  the  9th,  at  about  11  o'clock,  and  was  contin- 
ued till  dark.  The  following  morning  it  was  re- 
newed at  an  early  hour,  and  it  lasted  until  well 
in  the  afternoon,  when,  by  a  bold  charge  of  our 
army,  the  rebel  flag  was  made  to  succumb,  and 
our  own  was  hoisted  every  where  on  the  Island 
in  its  place.  No  attack  could  have  been  more 
completely  executed ;  and  it  was  carried  out 
precisely  in  accordance  with  the  arrangements 
made  before  the  expedition  left  Hatteras  In- 
let." 

The  rebel  Commodore  Lynch,  in  his  official 
report,  speaking  of  the  naval  battle,  says : 

"The  fight  lasted  continuously  from  10  a.m. 
till  half  past  5  p.m.,  throughout  which  the  sol- 
diers in  the  battery  sustained  their  position 
with  a  gallantry  which  won  our  warmest  appro- 
bation. The  fire  was  terrific ;  and  at  times 
the  battery  would  be  enveloped  in  the  sand 
and  dust  thrown  up  by  shot  and  shell. " 

The  killed  of  the  rebels,  who  were  protected 
by  well-constructed  earth-works,  according  to 
the  Eichmond  Despatch,  was  but  sixteen.    The 


THE  NAVY  IN  THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  SOUNDS. 


581 


Union  loss  of  the  land-force,  according  to  Ap- 
pleton's  Encyclopedia,  was  thirty-five  killed 
and  two  hundred  wounded.  The  joint  proc- 
lamation issued  on  the  18th  to  the  people  of 
North  Carolina,  by  Flag-Officer  Goldsborough 
and  General  Burnside,  is  worthy  of  historic 
preservation,  as  showing  the  pure  patriotism 
which  animated  the  leaders  of  the  Union  army. 
It  was  couched  in  the  following  terms : 

uThe  mission  of  our  joint  expedition  is  not  to  invade 
any  of  your  rights,  but  to  assert  the  authority  of  the 
United  States,  and  to  close  with  you  the  desolating  war 
brought  on  your  State  by  comparatively  a  few  bad  men  in 
your  midst.  Influenced  infinitely  more  by  the  worst  pas- 
sions of  human  nature  than  by  any  show  of  elevated  rea- 
son, they  are  still  urging  you  astray  to  gratify  their  un- 
holy purposes. 

"  They  impose  upon  your  credulity  by  telling  you  of 
wicked  and  even  diabolical  intentions  on  our  part — of  our 
desire  to  destroy  your  freedom,  demolish  your  property, 
liberate  your  slaves,  injure  your  women,  and  such  like 
enormities — all  of  which,  we  assure  you,  is  not  only  ridic- 
ulous, but  utterly  and  willfully  false. 

"  We  are  Christians  as  well  as  yourselves,  and  we  pro- 
fess to  know  full  well  and  to  feel  profoundly  the  sacred 
obligations  of  that  character.  No  apprehensions  need  to 
be  entertained  that  the  demands  of  humanity  or  justice 
will  be  disregarded.  We  shall  inflict  no  injury  unless 
forced  to  do  so  by  your  own  acts,  aud  upon  this  you  may 
confidently  rely. 

"  Those  men  are  your  worst  enemies.  They,  in  truth, 
have  drawn  you  into  your  present  condition,  and  are  the 
real  disturbers  of  your  peace  and  the  happiness  of  your 
firesides. 

uWe  invite  you,  in  the  name  of  the  Constitution,  and 
in  that  of  virtuous  loyalty  and  civilization,  to  separate 
yourselves  at  once  from  their  malign  influence,  to  return 
to  your  allegiance,  and  not  compel  us  to  resort  further  to 
the  force  under  our  control. 

11  The  Government  asks  only  that  its  authority  may  be 
recognized,  and,  we  repeat,  in  no  manner  or  way  does  it 
desire  to  interfere  with  your  laws,  constitutionally  estab- 
lished, yonr  institutions  of  any  kind  whatever,  your  prop- 
erty of  any  Eort,  your  usages  in  any  respect.1' 

The  afternoon  of  the  day  after  the  surren- 
der, Sunday,  the  9th,  Commander  Rowan,  by 
order  of  Elag-Officer  Goldsborough,  with  four- 
teen steamers,  pursued  the  rebel  gun-boats  up 
Albemarle  Sound,  hoping  to  find  them  at  Eliz- 
abeth City.  This  was  a  small  town  of  about 
two  thousand  inhabitants,  situated  on  the  Pas- 
quotank River,  about  twenty  miles  from  its 
mouth.  Reliable  information  had  been  re- 
ceived that  the  rebel  steamers  had  entered  the 
river,  and  had  undoubtedly  sought  refuge  at 
that  place. 

It  was  about  3  o'clock  Sunday  afternoon  when 
the  expedition  started  on  this  new  enterprise. 
The  following  steamers  composed  the  fleet : 
Delaware,  Underwriter,  Louisiana,  Lockwood, 
Seymour,  Hetzel,  Shawsheen,  Valley  City,  Gen- 
eral Putnam,  Commodore  Perry,  Ceres,  Morse, 
Whitehead,  and  Brincker.  It  was  about  for- 
ty miles  from  Roanoke  Island  across  Albemarle 
Sound  and  up  the  broad  bay,  called  Pasquo- 
tank River,  to  Elizabeth  City.  As  the  steam- 
ers pressed  rapidly  along  over  the  shallow  wa- 
ters of  this  vast  inland  sea  they  discovered  in 
the  afternoon  three  small  rebel  steamers,  to 
which  they  gave  chase ;  but  as  the  darkness 
came  on  the  rebels  escaped.  There  was  a  bar 
at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  over  which  the  flo- 


tilla steamed  slowly  and  cautiously ;  and  a  lit- 
tle after  8  o'clock  they  anchored  about  ten  miles 
below  Port  Cobb,  where  the  rebels  had  a  bat- 
tery, under  the  protection  of  whose  guns  the 
fugitive  fleet  was  clustered. 

In  consequence  of  the  tremendous  bombard- 
ment of  the  preceding  day,  and  the  baste  in 
which  the  pursuit  had  been  undertaken,  the 
steamers  were  but  slenderly  provided  with  am- 
munition, having  but  twenty-two  rounds  for 
each  gun.  It  became,  therefore,  necessary  not 
to  waste  a  single  charge.  Commander  Rowan 
assembled  on  board  his  flag-ship  all  the  com- 
missioned officers,  informed  them  of  his  plans 
of  operation  for  the  next  day,  and  enjoined  it 
upon  them  not  to  fire  a  shot  until  the  order 
was  given,  but  to  endeavor  to  run  the  enemy 
down,  converting  the  steamers  into  so  many 
rams,  and  then  boarding  the  foe  to  engage  in 
a  hand-to-hand  fight. 

At  daylight  the  next  morning,  the  10th,  the 
flotilla  weighed  anchor,  and  in  the  following 
order  advanced  to  meet  the  foe :  The  Under- 
writer, Perry,  Morse,  and  Delaware  led  to  re- 
connoitre. On  their  right  flank  came  the  Ceres, 
followed  by  the  remaining  steamers.  Their 
object  was  to  run  the  battery,  for  they  had  not 
sufficient  ammunition  to  attempt  to  silence  it. 
Two  of  the  steamers,  however,  the  Valley  City 
and  the  Whitehead,  were  ordered,  as  soon  as 
the  flotilla  had  passed  the  battery,  to  leave  the 
line,  and,  turning  back,  to  attack  the  rebel 
works  in  reverse. 

Fort  Cobb  was  on  a  point  of  land  projecting 
nearly  a  quarter  of  a  mile  into  the  estuary,  where 
it  began  rapidly  to  narrow.  It  was  armed  with 
four  heavy  32-pounders.  The  rebel  Commo- 
dore Lynch  commanded  it  in  person.  There 
was  moored  opposite  the  fort,  on  the  other  side 
of  the  river,  the  schooner  Black  Warrior,  which 
carried  two  32-pounders.  It  was  necessary  for 
the  flotilla,  almost  without  ammunition,  to  run 
the  gauntlet  through  a  narrow  channel  between 
the  fort  and  the  schooner.  Just  beyond  the 
battery  the  rebel  gun-boats,  all  prepared  for 
action,  were  drawn  up  diagonally  across  the 
river.  These  steamers  were  armed  with  80 
and  12  pounder  rifled  guns.  The  Union  steam- 
ers, in  passing  through  the  narrow  channel, 
would  be  so  crowded  together  that  it  would  be 
scarcely  possible  but  that  every  shot  fired  by 
the  foe  would  strike  some  one  of  them. 

It  seemed,  indeed,  a  desperate  adventure  to 
attempt  to  thread  that  channel  in  the  face  of  such 
a  force  in  front  and  op  both  flanks.  Indeed, 
the  rebels  had  no  idea  that  it  would  be  possi- 
ble for  the  fleet  to  accomplish  such  an  achieve- 
ment. The  scene  which  ensued  can  not  be 
better  described  than  in  the  words  of  Com- 
mander Rowan : 

"Our  force  moved  on  silently  and  steadily, 
shot  and  shell  passing  over  the  vessels  in  ad- 
vance, and  falling  thick  and  fast  among  the 
vessels  in  the  main  column.  When  within 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  of  the  battery  I  made 
signal,  'Dash  at  the  enemy!'     Our  fire  was 


582 


HARPER'S  NEW  MONTHLY  MAGAZINE. 


"Mi 


then  opened  with  telling  effect,  and  our  vessels 
put  to  their  utmost  speed. 

"The  enemy  seemed  to  become  demoral- 
ized at  this  unexpected  and  determined  move- 
ment. The  Black  Warrior  was  set  on  fire 
and  destroyed  by  her  officers  and  crew.  The 
fort  was  abandoned  as  the  head  of  our  col- 
umn passed  it.  A  dash  was  then  made  at  the 
enemy  drawn  up  inside.  The  Perry,  Lieuten- 
ant Commanding  Elusser,  took  the  flag-ship 
Sea  Bird  in  gallant  style,  running  her  down 
and  sinking  her,  making  prisoners  of  her  offi- 
cers and  crew.  The  Underwriter  made  to  cut 
off  the  retreat  of  the  Beaufort. "  The  Ceres  ran 
ahead  and  took  possession  of  the  Ellis.  Some 
of  the  crew  of  the  Ellis,  in  making  their  escape 
on  shore,  were  killed  and  wounded  by  our  mus- 


ketry. Among  the  wounded  was  Midshipman 
Jackson,  who  was  taken  on  board  the  Hetzel, 
where  he  received  every  possible  care  and  at- 
tention. He  survived  but  a  few  hours,  and 
was  buried  with  all  the  honors  due  his  rank. 
The  Delaware  boarded  and  hauled  down  the 
rebel  flag  of  the  Fanny,  which  had  been  de- 
serted and  set  on  fire. " 

In  this  impetuous  assault  but  little  attention 
was  paid  to  the  battery  or  to  the  armed  schoon- 
er as  our  little  fleet,  regardless  of  the  storm  of 
shell  and  grape,  rushed  at  its  highest  speed 
through  the  channel  and  dashed  into  the  midst 
of  the  panic-stricken  rebel  gun-boats.  A  hand- 
to-hand  fight  ensued  with  revolvers,  bayonets, 
and  sabres.  Many  of  the  rebels,  in  their  at- 
tempt to  escape,  leaped  into  the  water,  and  not 


THE  NAVY  IN  THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  SOUNDS. 


583 


a  few  were  drowned.  The  struggle  was  short, 
desperate,  and  decisive.  Scarcely  fifteen  min- 
utes elapsed  after  our  fleet  plunged  into  the 
midst  of  the  foe  ere  the  victory  was  no  longer 
contested.  The  Black  Warrior  was  abandoned 
and  in  flames.  The  terror-stricken  garrison 
were  fleeing  precipitately  from  the  fort.  Four 
rebel  ships  were  burned,  one  captured,  and  two, 
escaping  from  the  vortex  of  destruction,  ran 
frantically  up  the  river.  In  this  spirited  action 
hut  two  were  killed,  and  about  a  dozen  wound- 
ed on  board  the  Union  fleet.  The  rebel  loss 
could  not  be  ascertained. 

The  ram  -principle  was  on  this  occasion  very 
efficiently  brought  into  operation.  The  Com- 
modore Perry  plunged  into  the  Sea  Bird,  near- 
ly cutting  her  in  two.  The  Ceres  ran  down 
the  rebel  steamer  Ellis  and  boarded  her.  The 
Underwriter,  in  the  same  style,  captured  the 
Forrest ;  and  thus  did  the  Delaware  assail  and 
seize  the  Fanny.  There  was  the  most  intense 
eagerness  on  board  every  Union  steamer  to  get 
as  quickly  as  possible,  and  as  near  as  possible, 
in  contact  with  the  foe.  The  two  boats  which 
escaped,  the  Raleigh  and  Beaufort,  ran  up  the 
river,  and  entered  the  canal  which  leads  to 
Norfolk. 

The  rebels  who  escaped  from  the  gun-boats 
fled  to  the  little  village  called  Elizabeth  City, 
and  immediately  commenced  firing  the  princi- 
pal buildings.  Most  of  the  population  had  de- 
serted their  homes  under  the  delusion  that  it 
was  the  object  of  the  expedition  to  burn  the 
place,  and  to  inflict  every  species  of  wanton  in- 
jury upon  the  inhabitants.  Commander  Row- 
an immediately  ran  three  or  four  of  his  steam- 
ers alongside  of  the  wharves.  As  he  ap- 
proached he  saw  a  battery  of  field-artillery 
rapidly  retreating  down  one  of  the  streets. 
Some  of  his  men  landed  and  arrested  Lieuten- 
ant Scroggs,  an  artillery  officer  of  the  Wise 
Legion,  who  was  compelling  the  inhabitants  to 
•apply  the  torch  to  their  dwellings.  Several 
were  already  in  flames.  But  Commander  Row- 
an, as  soon  as  he  witnessed  the  Vandalism  of 
the  foe,  conscious  that  they  would  impute  the 
crime  to  him,  summoned  all  back  to  the  fleet. 

"I  immediately,"  said  he,  "ordered  all  our 
people  on  board  their  respective  ships,  and  that 
no  visitors  between  shore  and  ships  should  be 
permitted.  Some  of  the  defenseless  inhabit- 
ants, men  and  women,  came  to  the  wharf  to 
implore  me  to  save  their  houses  and  property 
from  destruction.  But  I  refused  to  allow  a 
man  to  move,  knowing  that  if  I  acceded  to 
their  request  we  would  be  charged  with  Vandal- 
ism as  incendiaries." 

Commander  Rowan  assured  the  inhabitants 
that  he  came  not  to  injure  their  beautiful  vil- 
lage, but  to  give  them  protection.  Thus  en- 
couraged, as  the  terrified  yet  maddened  rebel 
troops  fled,  they  ceased  to  apply  the  torch,  and 
the  flames  were  gradually  extinguished.  Sev- 
eral of  the  best  buildings,  however,  and  among 


them  the  Court-house,  were  destroyed.  The 
negroes,  at  all  times  and  every  where,  patri- 
otic, guided  by  almost  a  divine  instinct  which 
enabled  them  to  see  that  to  which  the  poor 
whites  were  blind,  flocked  in  rejoicing  crowds ' 
to  the  landing-place,  with  exuberance  of  ex- 
ultation which  even  the  presence  of  their  sullen 
masters  could  not  restrain.  They  came  with 
their  baskets  loaded  with  poultry,  eggs,  and 
other  luxuries,  and  received  in  payment  high- 
er prices  than  they  asked.  Thus  terminated 
one  of  the  most  brilliant,  though  one  of  the 
shortest,  naval  engagements  which  had  thus 
far  occurred  during  the  war.  At  forty-five 
minutes  after  9  o'clock  not  a  rebel  flag  could 
be  seen  floating  any  where.  At  six  minutes 
past  9  we  opened  our  fire  upon  the  gun-boats 
and  the  battery.  At  twenty-five  minutes  past 
9  the  schooner  struck  her  colors,  and  almost 
at  the  same  moment  the  rebel  garrison  fled 
from  the  fort,  waving  a  flag  in  signal  to  the 
gun-boats  to  run  on  shore  and  save  themselves 
as  they  could.  At  forty-five  minutes  past  9 
the  work  was  done,  and  the  Delaware  was 
moored  at  the  wharf  of  Elizabeth  City. 

Having  effected  the  destruction  of  the  mu- 
nitions of  war  and  other  governmental  stores 
at  Elizabeth  City  the  fleet  was  withdrawn  to 
Cobb's  Point.  Three  days  were  then  devoted 
to  the  destruction  of  all  the  military  works  and 
the  enginery  with  which  the  rebels  could  avail 
themselves  in  their  infamous  assault  against 
their  country's  flag.  On  Tuesdaj',  February 
11,  Commander  Murray,*  with  four  steamers, 
was  sent  to  Edenton.  This  was  a  small  town, 
of  about  sixteen  hundred  inhabitants,  of  some 
military  importance  from  its  situation  at  the 
head  of  Edenton  Bay  and  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Chowan  River. 

The  expedition  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the 
harbor  about  half  past  eight  in  the  morning  of 
Wednesday,  the  12th.  Cautiously  they  entered, 
through  the  intricate  harbor,  the  Lockwood  in 
the  advance.  No  resistance  was'offered.  At 
half  past  ten  they  were  in  possession  of  the 
town.  A  flying  regiment  of  artillery  took  to 
their  wings  without  firing  a  shot.  The  in- 
habitants also  fled  in  terror,  as  they  had  been 
informed  by  their  base  deceivers  that  the  pop- 
ulation of  Elizabeth  City  had  been  surrendered 
to  indiscriminate  massacre.  These  foolish  fears 
were,  however,  soon  quieted.  A  few  cannon 
were  destroyed,  a  considerable  quantity  of  pro- 
visions captured,  and  after  remaining  about 
two  hours,  during  which  time  they  were  visited 
by  the  authorities  and  others,  many  of  whom 
professed  sentiments  of  loyalty,  they  returned 
to  the  fleet.  Thus  the  spacious  waters  of 
Pamlico  and  Albermarle  Sounds  were  swept  of 
the  flag  of  the  rebellion. 


*  Commander  S.  C.  Rowan,  in  his  Report,  as  published 
by  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  says,  "  Lieut.  Com.  Mur- 
ray." But  in  the  Report  published  in  the  Rcb.  Record 
his  name  is  signed  Maury. 


58-4 


HARPER'S  NEW  MONTHLY  MAGAZINE. 


THE  PEINOE  OF  KUTSG, 


THE  PRINCE  OF  KUNG. 

THIS  Prince,  son  of  the  Emperor  Tau- 
kwang,  brother  to  the  Emperor  Hein-fung, 
uncle  and  guardian  to  the  present  Emperor, 
and  for  more  than  three  years  Regent  of  the 
Empire,  whose  likeness  I  herewith  inclose,  fills 
a  conspicuous  place  in  the  history  of  his  country. 

Emerging  from  the  obscurity  of  the  Court,  in 
1860,  to  save  the  capital  and  the  throne  by 
prudent  negotiation  at  a  time  when  the  Em- 
peror was  flying  from  his  burning  palaces,  and 
when  the  victorious  Allies  were  in  possession  of 
the  gates  of  Peking,  he  has  continued  up  to  the 
present  time  the  central  figure  in  the  foreign 
relations  of  China.  He  is,  in  fact,  the  first  and 
only  prince  of  the  blood  who  ever  condescended 
to  treat  in  person  with  the  feared  and  hated 
foreigner.  The  present  is  not  an  inopportune 
time  for  noticing  the  career  and  character  of 
this  distinguished  individual,  as  by  one  of  those 
sudden  revolutions,  less  frequent  in  Peking  than 
in  other  Oriental  courts,  he  has  lately  fallen 
from  his  high  position. 

I  have  seen  him  on  two  occasions — once 
when  our  Minister,  Mr.  Burlingame,  went  to  the 
Foreign  Yamen  to  take  leave  of  his  Highness, 
and  again,  a  few  days  later,  when  the  prince 
paid  Mr.  Burlingame  a  farewell  visit  at  the 
United  States  Legation. 


The  Foreign  Yamen  is  not  a  very  princely- 
looking  establishment.  A  cluster  of  weather- 
beaten  buildings,  one  story  in  height,  floored 
with  brick,  and  glazed  with  paper,  exhibiting 
in  every  part  a  sad  spectacle  of  dust  and  decay, 
while  in  the  front  court  a  huge  tree,  complete- 
ly dead,  a  suggestive  symbol,  stretched  its- 
leafless  branches  over  the  entrance ;  it  looked 
more  akin  to  the  buildings  in  which  the  king 
of  Ashantee  holds  his  grand  palaver  than  to  the 
stately  edifices  of  our  Western  governments. 
Since  then  the  mandarins  have  been  trying 
how  far  an  application  of  paint  can  bring  back 
its  departed  glory;  but,  alas!  no  artifice  can 
avail  to  restore  sap  to  the  withered  tree,  and  a 
few  days  ago  the  axe  was  applied  to  its  root  in 
obedience  to  the  mandate — "  Cat  it  down,  why 
cumbereth  it  the  ground?" — Dii  vertant  omen 
funeste  I 

It  can  not  be  said  that  Prince  Kung  is  a  very 
princely-looking  personage.  Though  of  Tartar 
blood  unmixed,  his  physiognomy  is  Chinese  of 
the  Chinese.  With  an  eye  of  most  celestial 
obliquity,  and  a  nose,  whose  elevation  scarcely 
interferes  with  the  affectionate  glances  which 
one  organ  might  be  supposed  to  cast  at  its 
image  reflected'in  the  other,  his  features  are  a 
type  of  his  race.  They  are  not,  however,  alto- 
gether disagreeable  as  an  index  of  the  inner 
man.      Though  expressive  of  indolence,  they 


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